School District of Oconee County elections (2016)
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Three of the five seats on the School District of Oconee County school board were up for by-district general election on November 8, 2016. Two newcomers filed for the open District 2 seat: Steve Moore and Joe Rukat, although Moore was pronounced dead after suffering a stroke on September 16, 2016. His name did not appear on the general election ballot, allowing Rukat to secure victory. In District 4, incumbent Denise McCormick filed for an additional term on the board and defeated challenger Patrick James. District 5 incumbent Buddy Herring filed for re-election and ran unopposed, winning another term. There was no primary.[1][2][3]
Elections
Voter and candidate information
The Oconee County school board is a nonpartisan board that consists of five members elected by district to staggered four-year terms. There was no primary election, and a general election was held November 8, 2016. The deadline for candidates to file nominating petitions was on August 15, 2016.
Candidates and results
District 2
Results
| School District of Oconee County, District 2 General Election, 4-year term, 2016 |
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| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 Joe Rukat (unopposed) |
99.43% | 3,691 |
| Write-in votes | 0.57% | 21 |
| Total Votes (100) | 3,712 | |
| Source: South Carolina Election Commission, "Election Results," accessed November 8, 2016 These election results are unofficial and will be updated after official vote totals are made available. | ||
Candidates
| Joe Rukat | |
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District 4
Results
| School District of Oconee County, District 4 General Election, 4-year term, 2016 |
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| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Denise McCormick Incumbent |
65.72% | 2,755 |
| Patrick James | 33.87% | 1,420 |
| Write-in votes | 0.41% | 17 |
| Total Votes (100) | 4,192 | |
| Source: South Carolina Election Commission, "Election Results," accessed November 8, 2016 These election results are unofficial and will be updated after official vote totals are made available. | ||
Candidates
| Denise McCormick |
Patrick James | ||
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District 5
Results
| School District of Oconee County, District 5 General Election, 4-year term, 2016 |
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| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Buddy Herring Incumbent (unopposed) |
99.26% | 4,286 |
| Write-in votes | 0.74% | 32 |
| Total Votes (100) | 4,318 | |
| Source: South Carolina Election Commission, "Official Results," accessed December 1, 2016 | ||
Candidates
| Buddy Herring | |
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Additional elections on the ballot
- See also: South Carolina elections, 2016
The following offices shared the general election date with this South Carolina school board election:
Key deadlines
The following dates were key deadlines for this South Carolina school board election in 2016:[4]
| Deadline | Event |
|---|---|
| March 30, 2016 | Last day to file nominating petitions for partisan elections |
| June 14, 2016 | Primary election day, if necessary |
| June 28, 2016 | Primary runoff election day, if necessary |
| August 15, 2016 | Last day to file nominating petitions for nonpartisan elections |
| October 8, 2016 | Deadline to register to vote in the general election |
| October 10, 2016 | Fourth quarter campaign finance deadline |
| October 24, 2016 | Pre-election campaign finance deadline |
| November 4, 2016 | Deadline to return absentee by mail application for the general election |
| November 7, 2016 | Deadline to vote absentee in person for the general election |
| November 8, 2016 | General election day |
Endorsements
Do you know of an official or organization that endorsed a candidate in this race? Let Ballotpedia know by email at elections@ballotpedia.org.
Campaign finance
No candidate in this race reported any financial activity to the South Carolina State Ethics Commission as of October 28, 2016.[5]
The following are the guidelines provided by the South Carolina State Ethics Commission for campaign finance reporting:[6]
Initial report: School board candidates were required to file this report within 10 days of spending or receiving the first $500 of campaign funds. A subsequent report was not required until additional funds were raised.
Pre-election report: This report had to be filed by all candidates, whether or not there was any financial campaign activity. The report had to be filed no later than 15 days, and no earlier than 20 days, prior to the general election. The pre-election report was due on October 24, 2016.
Quarterly report: All candidates with contributions on hand were required to file this report. It was required of all candidates once they have begun to file, whether or not there was financial activity. The fourth quarter campaign finance report was due on October 10, 2016.
Final report: This was due after the campaign account was closed.
What was at stake?
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About the district
School District of Oconee County is located in Oconee County, South Carolina. The city of the same name serves as the county seat. Oconee County was home to 75,713 residents between 2010 and 2015, according to the United States Census Bureau.[7] The district was the 21st-largest school district in the state in the 2013–2014 school year and served 10,547 students.[8]
Demographics
Oconee County underperformed in comparison to South Carolina as a whole in terms of higher education attainment between 2010 and 2014. The United States Census Bureau found that 22.1 percent of county residents aged 25 years and older had attained a bachelor's degree or higher, compared to 25.3 percent for state residents. The median household income in the county was $41,197, compared to $45,033 for the state. County residents lived below the poverty level at a rate of 17.5 percent, while that rate was 16.6 percent for state residents.[7]
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Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms 'School District of Oconee County' 'South Carolina'. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
| School District of Oconee County | South Carolina | School Boards |
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External links
- School District of Oconee County
- Seneca and Oconee County Elections
- South Carolina Elections Commission
Footnotes
- ↑ South Carolina Election Commission, "Candidate Listing for the 11/8/2016 Statewide General Election," accessed August 18, 2016
- ↑ Live 5 News, "Former Oconee Co. Council member found dead in home," September 19, 2016
- ↑ South Carolina Election Commission, "Election Results," accessed November 8, 2016
- ↑ South Carolina Election Commission, "2016 Election Calendar," accessed November 4, 2016
- ↑ South Carolina State Ethics Commission, "Individual Reports," accessed October 28, 2016
- ↑ South Carolina State Ethics Commission, "Campaign Practices," accessed October 6, 2016
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 United States Census Bureau, "Oconee County, South Carolina," accessed September 22, 2016
- ↑ National Center for Education Statistics, "ELSI Table Generator," accessed November 16, 2015
- ↑ South Carolina State Election Commission, "Election Results," accessed August 19, 2014
| 2016 School District of Oconee County Elections | |
| Election date: | November 8, 2016 |
| Candidates: | District 2: Joe Rukat District 4: Incumbent, Denise McCormick • Patrick James |
| Important information: | What was at stake? • Key deadlines • Additional elections on the ballot |
